Colorado Governor Voices Support for Anti-Gun Senators Being Recalled

According to Coloradopols.com, the following is a letter from Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper issued through the Democratic National Convention.

The letter shows the governor joining New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in throwing his support behind John Morse and Angela Giron, the two Colorado state senators who are in the process of being recalled for their support of strict new gun control laws passed in the state earlier this year.

The lawmakers are facing the recall effort due to their support of strict gun control laws which passed in Colorado earlier this year. Many saw the laws as being too anti-gun for Colorado, which has been a “purple” state in recent times, being seen as socially progressive on some issues, such as marijuana legalization, but many feel that residents still maintain a strong history of firearm ownership and gun rights.

The recall effort is certainly going to be watched at the national level, with many seeing it as a referendum on gun control. Anti-gun advocates have been saying that pro-gun supporters can expect a backlash at the polls, and the Colorado recall elections may be the first chance to put that to the test. Many are actually predicting the opposite and think that pro-gun activists may be able to defeat the Democratic incumbents.

We have shown in Colorado that after great tragedy we can come together and make our schools, streets, and homes safer.

After Columbine, we closed a loophole that allowed dangerous people to purchase weapons at gun shows.

After the senseless shootings in Aurora last year, we studied the facts and talked to a wide range of people — including Second Amendment advocates — about how we could prevent gun violence. We passed legislation improving mental health services, modest restrictions on future sales of high capacity gun magazines, and universal background checks.

We were only able to pass the law because Democratic legislators had the courage to stand up to outside special interests — but now those groups are trying to make an example of two of them by forcing them into a recall election…

Opponents of these laws told us that expanding background checks wouldn’t keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The facts show otherwise. Last year alone, more than 5,000 people failed background checks because of arrests or convictions for serious crimes, including 38 people for homicide, 133 for sexual assault, 420 with restraining orders, 618 for burglary, and 1,380 for felony assault.

Expanding background checks to cover all gun sales prevents violent criminals from acquiring guns. That means safer communities while also respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Coloradans.

These recall elections cost a small fortune and do nothing to improve democracy or representative government. They are intended to intimidate and punish a select number of Democratic legislators for daring to vote their conscience — for daring to do the right thing to make their communities safer.